Clove
by Ec1aire
Summary: Clove finds herself within the company of six strange animals. Four hedgehogs, an echidna and a fox. They claim to be looking for the 'Key', although Clove has no idea what this means. The name at the beginning of every chapter is from who's POV the chapter is written. Please review and I hope you enjoy! (This is an OC story so if you don't like them, don't read this).
1. Clove - The Key

My name is Clove. I am really just an ordinary human being living an ordinary human life. But when I walk through the streets one day, that's when everything changes. I am standing by one of the Soleanna market stalls, when suddenly a pair of hands each grab an arm. My head whips round from side to side, and I find myself being held by two hedgehogs. A blue one, and a black one. A green pair of eyes, and a red pair of eyes. One pair looks gentle, the other has a strange sort of fire flickering within them.

'Just what do you think you're doing?!' I demand angrily.

'I'm sorry,' the blue one replies, 'you'll just have to wait. This is urgent. You must come with us.'

'And you think attempting to kidnap me in the middle of a street is going to reward you with the trust required for that?' I ask, wanting to fold my arms over my chest, but being stopped by the grips around my elbows.

'Listen,' the black hedgehog says. 'If you're who we think you are then you need to come with us more than anything else. If you're not, you'll be back here before you know it.'

I think about it, but eventually curiosity wins over. 'Fine, but only if you let go of me.' The hands disappear.

'Don't even think about running.' The blue hedgehog grins. 'You won't make it ten feet.'

'I have no intentions of running.' I say profusely, because it's true. 'So where exactly are we headed?' I ask, following behind the two hedgehogs.

'We're going to our base. Everyone else has agreed to meet us there later.' The blue hedgehog says casually, and suddenly I feel like I recognise him.

I stop, and they turn to face me. 'Do I know you?' I ask. 'I swear I know you from somewhere. Sonic, was it?'

He nods with a smile. 'That's me.' He confirms.

'And you are?' I turn to the black hedgehog and notice there are red stripes on his quills. I wonder how I didn't notice that before.

'My name is Shadow. I might ask you the same.' He looks sharply at me, and a seemingly permanent scowl faces me full-on.

'It's Clove.'

Sonic scratches the back on his neck, as if nervous. 'Sorry about this, Clove, but we need to speed things up.' His hands appear beside me and he swoops me off my feet. I squeal in shock. Sonic smiles down at me apologetically before turning to face Shadow. 'Don't be late.' He says.

Shadow smirks. 'Same to you.' Sonic laughs, as if this is some sort of comical joke. Shadow takes of running unusually fast, but as soon as Sonic starts sprinting, I completely forget out Shadow.

'How can you run so fast?!' I shriek, looking at him.

'I just can,' he laughs, apparently not out of breath. 'Always have been able to.'

'This is not normal!' I laugh. I want to cover my eyes, because the speed is terrifying. Instead I can't help but leave them wide open, allowing me to stare at the blurry landscape that whips past us. Soon, a giant metal building rolls into view. 'Is that our destination?' I ask, frowning at the strangely shaped architecture.

'Yep, that's our stop,' Sonic says, jumping up onto the rock and continuing until we reach the doors. He gently sets me down and then takes my hand, leading me inside the building. I am greeted by the sight of four figures.

'Shadow? How did you get here before Sonic?' I frown at the smirking hedgehog. He takes a red gem out from somewhere in his quills.

'This is a Chaos Emerald. It allows me to teleport myself from place to place. I actually got here about twenty-five minutes ago.'

Sonic grins whilst rolling his green eyes. 'That's technically cheating.' Shadow shrugs, nonchalant.

A small orange fox with two tails steps forward and introduces himself. 'I'm Tails. This is Knuckles, and Silver.' He says, indicating each of his friends in turn.

I nod. 'Yes, I know Silver.' The hedgehog in question sends me a small smile, before his gaze turns deadly serious.

'Is this her?' He asks, directing his question at Sonic and Shadow. They nod in unison. Silver turns back to me. 'Sorry, Clove, but we have to do some tests on you. Blood tests, DNA tests, things like that. As I'm sure Shadow and Sonic explained, if you're not who we think you are then you're free to go. If you are...'

'Exactly who are you looking for?' I ask, letting my eyes wonder to my fairly bleak - but still impressive - surroundings.

'The Key.' Tails says simply, walking over to a very advanced-looking machine. 'The Key is a woman who holds the power to save the future in her hands.'

'And you think that's me?' I raise a sceptical eyebrow.

Tails shrugs. 'We only have a very vague description on this person, but so far you've ticked all the boxes. This is why we now need your blood and DNA tested. It'll tell us everything else we need to know.' Everyone allows me a few seconds to digest what I was just told.

'Okay, well, what do you want me to do?' They all exchange a look.

'I wasn't expecting you to be quite so eager,' Knuckles admits. 'You just need to hold out an arm so Tails can take some blood samples.' I nod my assent and do so. A fine needle is injected into the underside of my arm and a syringe full of my blood is taken out. I feel faintly lightheaded, so Silver offers to take me outside.

The cool air is refreshing on my skin, and I quickly find a seat - well, a rock, really. Silver stands silently beside me. 'Could I really be who you're looking for?' I look up at him. 'I don't exactly possess any outstanding qualities. Not like you guys do.'

Silver smiles and perches on the edge of the rock. 'It probably would be a good time to mention that if these tests are positive, your human life won't last much longer. For the purposes of this, you'd need to become like us. And from there you'd gain your own abilities.'

I stare at him. 'You're joking, right?' My voice is weak and tired, and in truth I know he's being serious, but I find myself asking anyway.

'No, I'm not.' Silver replies evenly. 'From what we can gather, the Key has the potential to wield a combination of all our gifts.'

'How so?'

Silver shakes his head sadly. 'I don't know. None of us do. In that particular field, we're still in the dark. And we'll only find out if the time ever comes.'

Sonic suddenly decides to join us. He appears out of nowhere, followed by a gust of wind, and stops beside us. I look at him, startled, and he gives me a wide grin. 'So Silver get round to explaining the exciting part yet?' He asks.

'If by exciting you mean freakishly life changing, then yes, I have.' Silver says casually, rolling his golden eyes.

'Ah, you know being a hedgehog is brilliant.' Sonic nudges Silver with his elbow. Silver sighs.

'I think it is, but I've never experienced being human before, so my opinion doesn't really count for anything.'

'Sure it does! Just because you've never been a human before doesn't mean you don't have an idea of what human life is like.' Sonic sits on the earth by our feet and crosses his legs beneath him.

'If I might interject,' I say, unsure, 'what sorts of things might I get if I were a match for... whatever it is you're looking for?'

'You could gain my speed, Shadow's Chaos energy or his rather weird influence over fire, Knuckles' gliding ability or his ability to climb, Silver's Psychokenisis. Anything really. There's probably quite an extensive list between all of us.' Sonic shrugs. 'I guess we'll find out when it happens.'

'If it happens,' Silver corrects.

'And it'll happen very soon,' Knuckles reports from the doors. 'She's an exact match.'

I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. 'Okay, let's just do this quickly.'

Sonic smiles sadly. 'It may not be as quick as you would hope, but if you need the support, we'll be there to support you.'

I nod and give him a weary smile. 'Thanks.'


	2. Shadow - Experiments

Clove lies nervously on the table, her fine blonde hair fanning out beneath her. The steady rise and fall of her chest indicates she feels fine, but I can hear the frantic beating of her heart with my super-enhanced hearing.

'This shouldn't hurt a bit,' Tails says from beside Clove's bed, 'but it'll feel a bit weird to start with.'

Clove nods and closes her eyes. 'I hope you're right,' she murmurs.

Tails glances at Sonic, who nods once, before pressing a large yellow button. A blue beam of light surrounds Clove's body and begins to whirl around her. Her body begins to change, and I wince at the sound of her bones being forced to adjust to another shape and position. Quills start to grow out of her head, and she becomes the shape of a hedgehog. A blue hedgehog, her colours matching that of Sonic's. Her fur becomes darker blue, then dark purple, then lighter purple. Suddenly, I understand: she is becoming a mix of all our colours. The purple hedgehog form of a previously human Clove opens her eyes with a gasp, and I find myself staring into a sharp pair of silver eyes. She shakes her head, as if to clear it, before finding her reflection in the window behind me. Her eyes widen, and she jumps up, running to the window at incredible speed. Clove stumbles, apparently not expecting to run so fast. I certainly didn't, and judging by everyone else's expressions, they didn't know what to expect either.

'Ooh, that's weird!' Clove says, scrunching up her face in a vaguely amusing way. Sonic and Silver both chuckle, and I let my lips quirk up at the sides. Not much makes me smile anymore - not since Maria - but something about Clove makes me want to.

'So, what else did you get?' Sonic asks, grinning and grabbing Clove's arm. He starts to pull her outside.

'Don't expect me to know,' Clove laughs.

'Well, we can find out.' I shrug. We all make our way into the open meadow we use as a garden. Sonic and Clove stop several metres into the grass and he finally releases his hold on her.

'So now what? Is some random box supposed to come flying towards me?' Clove sounds sarcastic, and that makes me smirk.

'You may not be being serious, but that's possible because of Silver's Psychokenisis.' I point out. Clove shrugs, not seeming to care.

'Just focus on trying to be as powerful as possible.' Sonic instructs.

Clove nods and closes her eyes, and I can imagine her confused thoughts whirring around in her head. In truth, she looks a bit strange as a hedgehog, but I know I'll get used to it before long. A cloak of fire surrounds her frame, and a blazing red blade forms in her hand. The loose items nearby - rocks, boxes, crates, barrels - all rise and have a strange orange glow around them. Clove opens her eyes and yelps when she sees the things floating around her head, and realises there is a blade in her hand.

I raise an eyebrow at her, extremely impressed in spite of myself. 'That was more than I thought you'd end up with.' I admit passively.

'What did you expect?' Tails asks, turning to face me, his tails flicking a little.

I shrug, not really knowing myself. 'Just one power, I guess. A really powerful one. I wasn't expecting her to have several really powerful abilities.' I turn to face Clove and find her staring a little strangely at me.

Knuckles, picking up on this, adds a mischievous comment. 'Are you two already fixating over each other?' He drawls, making my eyes turn to his, a fierce glare in place.

'I don't get attached to people, you know that.' I spit.

Memories of Maria and the pain I felt when she died hit me like a strike against the head. Before I even realise what I am doing, my feet carry me away from the base, across the meadow, and into the trees on the east side of the island. The branches and leaves whip around me, but I don't stop at first. Launching myself into the too branches of a particularly tall oak tree, I perch myself against the trunk and close my eyes. I sit in complete silence for a few minutes, letting the agonising heartbreak within me run its course. Opening my eyes to the dim sunlight, it takes a few moments to spot Clove sitting in the tree about five metres away from me, watching me with an anxious expression on her face.

'I really hate interrupting what is clearly a private moment, but when you took off like that, I didn't know what to think... I started running after you without thinking.' Clove says shyly, averting her eyes. While her eyes are away from me, I again find myself wanting to smile. Strange emotions are beginning to work their way into my head, and they all revolve around this girl.

'You were worried about me?' I make my voice sound lighthearted and a little mocking.

Clove shrugs. 'I don't know, to be honest. I acted without thinking.'

I groan. 'I see you inherited that particularly trait after all.' When Clove sends me a questioning look, I explain. 'Sonic has a tendency to act without thinking things over. I was hoping to be able to avoid getting that out of you.'

Smiling, Clove shakes her head. 'I didn't get it from Sonic. In fact, in terms of going on adventures, my mind makes me want to make a plan first. It's you that makes me abandon that.' Clove's cheeks flush, but she determinedly meets my eyes.

Tilting my head to one side, I ponder this. 'If what you're saying is true, it seems you could have gained that from me. Your influence over fire and your apparent knowledge of combat also come from me.'

Clove starts. 'How would you know this?' She demands, standing on her branch and nimbly hopping onto the one less than a metre above me. I hesitate at first, but then decide that there is no point hiding the truth.

'I am not a biological hedgehog like the others. I'm a hybrid. I was genetically engineered with the specific purpose of fighting. Though eventually I gained enough of a conscience to realise what I was doing was inhumane, at first I was as emotional as a rock.'

Clove smirks. 'You still are.'

This gets a rare laugh from me. For a moment it unsettles me, but I quickly regain my composure. 'Oh, I used to be far worse.'

Clove snorts derisively. 'I highly doubt that.' I just shake my head, refusing to let this particular conversation drag on.

'So how are you adjusting?' I slouch against the trunk into a more relaxed position. 'Becoming a hedgehog with your sort of abilities can't be easy.'

Clove shrugs. 'I'm coping.' Though the sentence is short, it's easy to pick up on the fact that she's a long way out of her comfort zone right now. I watch her in silence for a moment, monitoring her body language and facial expressions. Her shoulders are slightly lifted and her legs are swinging beneath her. Clove doesn't seem to notice this, her silver eyes staring unseeing ahead of her. A quiet snap of a branch alerts me to another presence, and both Clove and I turn towards the sound. I raise an eyebrow. So she got my enhanced senses to? It seems I had the most influence over her change. For several seconds we just stare through the trees, waiting.

Then a familiar pink form comes trudging through the trees, a small smile playing at her lips. 'Amy?' Clove says, jumping down from her branch.

Amy is startled by her sudden unexpected appearance. 'Who are you?'

Clove looks confused for a second, before understanding washes over her face. 'Oh, it's Clove.'

'...Clove? What happened to you?!' Amy exclaimed, her hand shooting to her mouth in surprise.

Clove laughs darkly. 'That's a long, complicated story. What are you doing here?'

Amy brightens up. 'I'm going to see Sonic.'

I groan inwardly and jump down beside Clove. Amy squeals a little in shock. 'Hi, Amy,' I say evenly.

'Gee, Shadow, don't do that! You gave me a heart attack!'

'And Clove didn't?' I fold my arms over my chest, raising a sceptical eyebrow as I do.

'No. I was already looking out for trouble. Eggman's likely to send his mechs this way, right?' Amy's reason is certainly believable, although as far as we are aware, Dr Eggman doesn't know the base even exists.

'I suppose that's logical. See you later, Clove.' I call over my shoulder, running back towards the base.

'Bye, Shadow!' Clove calls after me, making an almost giddy grin stretch over my face.


	3. Sonic - Eggman

I sit on the grass in the meadow, watching the entrance of the forest for any sign of movement. Shadow and Clove have been gone for several minutes, although I'm not worried. Shadow can take care do himself, and Clove seems to have some combat-based knowledge. Must have picked it up from Shadow. Tails comes up beside me and plops down on the ground.

'What's up, Tails?' I ask.

Tails gives a careless shrug. 'Nothing. And that's making me worried. Eggman hasn't been seen for weeks. It's actually coming close to two months now.' Tails closes his eyes and thumps backwards, lying flat on his back.

'Why would that worry you?' I speak before I realise how obvious the answer is. 'You think Dr Eggman is planning something.'

'It's a legitimate conclusion to come to, don't you think? When has Dr Eggman ever spent so long devising a plan?' Tails looks me directly in the eyes.

I shrug. 'I don't really know. Never. It's usually a few weeks, I'd say.'

Tails nods. 'Exactly. It's been twice as long as that, and he's still nowhere to be seen.'

'There has to be an explanation. Although it is likely he's planning something or... doing something we don't know about.' I ponder this for a few seconds before giving up and getting to my feet. I'm surprised to see Shadow walking towards the base, with what looks like a twisted smile on his lips. 'Wait a moment, is Shadow smiling?'

Tails sits up and looks over at Shadow too, who apparently hasn't noticed us yet. 'Yes.' We exchange a look, both equally confused. A rush of air whips around us, and Clove suddenly materialises only feet away.

'Hey, guys!' She says cheerfully. A small pink figure drops from her back, and Amy Rose steps out from behind her. I hold back a sigh. Let's hope Amy isn't in a particularly clingy mood right now.

'Hi, Clove. Amy.' I reply in what I hope to be a casual voice.

'Hello, again, Sonic,' Amy says happily, running up to me and giving me a quick hug. I pat her back awkwardly, receiving an amused smile from Clove.

Clove's smile suddenly falters, and her head whips around to face the direction of the sea. She turns her body completely and disappears in a purple blur. I follow her movements my eyes, and see Shadow running after her. They both pull to a stop on the edge of a cliff, staring at the sky. Following their gaze, I narrow my eyes at the unwelcome sight of the Egg Carrier making its way towards Soleanna. Or us.

'Speak of the Devil,' Tails murmurs. I give a frustrated huff and run towards Shadow and Clove, coming to a stop beside them. Silver, Knuckles, Tails and Amy join us after a few seconds.

'Eggman?' Knuckles growls. Shadow, Tails, Amy and I all nod.

Clove shoots me a concerned look. 'I thought he was missing.'

'Apparently not.' Silver replies solemnly. 'We've seen no action from him for a while, so we didn't really know where he'd got to. Still don't, for that matter. His base is abandoned.' Clove frowns, and her red blade forms in her palm. Her fingers close around it tightly.

'Whoa!' Amy cries. 'How did you do that?!'

'Like I said before, long and complicated story.' Clove mutters to Amy. They seem to know each other quite well.

'Clearly. You can run as fast as Sonic, too.' Amy grumbles, as if put off by the thought. Clove glances between me and Amy, before a mischievous grin spreads across this face.

'Uh oh,' I say. 'I'm not sure I like that look.'

Before Clove can reply, a booming voice sounds from above. 'I'm back, you pesky little hedgehog. Did you miss me?' Eggman announces, his arms thrown wide in a dramatic fashion.

'Not really. Actually, his absence was nice while it lasted.' I announce, loud enough for Dr Eggman to hear from above, but so it seems directed at my friends.

'You have to be careful now, Sonic. Don't want to push me over the edge, do we?' Eggman reaches behind him and pulls a young girl with straight, auburn hair from behind him. The girl, even from here, looks close to fainting.

'Daisy!' Clove yells, her grip on her sword tightening even more.

'Oh, someone you know, little one?' Eggman mocks with a malicious grin. The front of his ship comes forward, and a bright green beam hits the seven of us, all caught off guard. I find myself incapable of movement. Well, I say seven... Clove, though obviously dazed, still has the ability to move about. 'You're almost as bad as him,' Eggman drawls, pointing a finger in my direction. 'Who are you?'

'My name is Clove,' she replies with a strong and determined voice. 'And I will not allow you to harm my friends.'

Eggman lets out a hearty, maniacal laugh. 'Bold and feisty, I see. Let's test your skills, shall we?' A dozen of Eggman's mechs surround Clove, and a brief flicker of uncertainty crosses her eyes. Still, she launches into a flat-out sprint, and the mechs are sawn into halves and quarters one-by-one. Soon, Clove is surrounded by the scattered remains of the machines. Eggman, failing to conceal his shock and annoyance, growls. 'You are exactly like him, after all.'

Clove laughs and shakes her head. 'Oh, no. I am like all of them.'

The pieces of robot are suddenly wrapped in a pale orange glow, and Clove sends each one flying towards the Egg Carrier. Hopping onto the biggest piece, Clove rides it onto the ship itself. Jamming her sword into the main console, I suddenly find myself released of the binds holding me back. Within a second of each other, Shadow, Silver, Knuckles, Tails, Amy and I leap onto the ship and face Eggman together with Clove, standing in a triangle. Clove is at the point, and Shadow and I are either side of her.

Eggman growls in frustration again. 'You interfering little rats!' He shouts. Grabbing his hostage by the arm, Eggman slams his finger onto a blinking blue button on his wrist console. Ribbons of white light engulf them both, and they vanish from sight. I straighten out of my offensive stance and turn to face Clove just in time to see her blade blink out of existence. Everyone has turned towards her, expressions of shock, awe and curiosity on our faces.

'What,' Amy says, pronouncing her words slowly and clearly, 'just happened?' I think it's the question everyone wants answered, but Clove looks just as confused as the rest of us. She stares, not at us, but down at her hands. She blink once, and that's when I notice the tears in her eyes. A single droplet of water falls from her cheek and lands on her white glove.

Clove's knees tremble, and she sinks onto the ground, her arms locked straight, supporting her. 'Daisy,' she whispers. 'How has he got Daisy?'

'Who's Daisy?' I ask, my voice soothing and gentle.

Clove looks up at up me with a tear-streaked face. 'She's my little sister.'


	4. Clove - Project Blur

The long grass in the meadow tickles my body in an oddly comforting way. My arms are spread wide, allowing me to stare up at the cloudless sky. I hear light footsteps approaching, and Amy steps into view. I sit up and pull her down beside me. Amy clutches my hand in hers and silently soothes me.

I start grinning from ear-to-ear. 'Okay, so tell me all about it.' I start eagerly.

Amy blinks twice, recovering quickly from whatever it was that startled her. 'What do you mean? What is "it"?'

'Sonic, of course! How long have you liked him?' I urge, clasping her hands in my own and turning my body so I am facing her directly.

'Oh...' Amy blushes. 'A long time. I don't know exactly.'

'Okay, and how have you been going about getting him to return your feelings?' I ask, looking directly at me friend's eyes, which are blazing avidly.

'I've been giving him loads of attention and letting him know how much he means to me without actually saying anything, but he just keeps pushing me away.' Amy pouts and her brow furrows.

I think about this for a moment. 'Do you think it's possible that the reason he's resisting you is because you're pushing him too much? Maybe he doesn't want all this attention, maybe he wants someone who pays close attention to the things he likes and how he acts. If you are able to read into his expressions and body language, you can understand him better. It may do you good to not be as clingy, and to act with him like you do everyone else. That'll give Sonic the chance to get to know and fall in love with you.'

Amy's frown deepens. 'I am not clingy!' She huffs.

I sigh. 'Amy, I've known you for many years, and trust me, that was the very definition of clingy.'

Amy grumbles under her breath, before thinking hard. 'So what you're saying is I should give Sonic a little more space? That I should treat him like everyone else?'

I nod vigorously. 'Exactly! That way Sonic won't feel the need to put space between you. And while you're at it, use this extra space to analyse him. You can tell a lot from the position someone is in.'

Amy looks around and points to Knuckles, who is sat hunched against the metal wall of the base. 'So what can you tell me about Knuckles right now?'

I examine him for a few seconds before answering. 'Judging by the way his legs are crossed and the fact his foot is tapping the ground, that would imply he's bored. His back is hunched and his shoulders lifted, which would suggest he is thinking hard about something. The fact that his arms are crossed tightly means that something is troubling him, and his blank face makes it seem that he's trying to hide his thoughts from other people.' I say, laughing when Amy shoots me an utterly dumbfounded look.

'That was amazing!' Amy squeals. 'How long have you been able to do that?'

I shrug. 'Most of my life. It was something my mother taught me when I was seven. How to read people so you can always figure out the best way to help them.'

Amy claps her hands excited in front of her. 'Oh, please teach me how to do that, please! I need Sonic to love me. Clove, tell me you'll help me!'

I laugh and shake my head in disbelief. Pulling us both into a standing position, I hold her shoulders. 'You have my word.' I pull Amy into a friendly hug and feel her squeeze me tightly back. Her heart is racing wildly from excitement.

'We can call it Project Blur,' Amy suggests calmly when we pull apart.

'That's certainly a suitable name.' I agree. 'Okay then, we'll start tomorrow. Don't forget what I said: give Sonic space and don't cling to him.' Amy nods determinedly and leaves, skipping instead of walking. I follow her with my eyes for a moment, before chuckling to myself. 'She really is in love with him, isn't she?' I murmur to myself.

'Whatever you did to make her so happy,' a familiar voice sounds from behind me, 'has made me worried.' I turn to find Shadow standing ten feet away with his arms crossed over his chest. 'Please tell me you haven't told her you can brainwash Sonic into loving her.'

I laugh. 'I didn't, although I did give her advice on how to win him over.'

Shadow sighs and walks up to me, closing the gap between us to less than a metre. 'I'm almost afraid to ask. What did you recommend?'

'I said she needed to distance herself from him a bit to allow him to get to know her without thinking he needs to push her away. I also suggested she try to watch him closer so she knows how he's feeling.'

A look of apprehension crosses Shadow's features. 'So that's what that monologue describing Knuckles' emotions was about.'

'You heard that, huh?'

Shadow smirks and nods. 'Yes. I also heard you decided to call this Project Blur.'

I groan. 'For the record, that was not my idea.'

Shadow chuckles. 'I know, don't worry.'

'Okay, I swear you two are becoming close already.' Knuckles says, appearing out of nowhere. I didn't hear him approach either, which makes me frown.

Shadow's deep scowl makes a reappearance. 'Do I have to repeat what I said earlier?' Shadow growls.

'No, but sometimes you can feel things without realising. I'm just saying you two look pretty comfortable around each other.'

'That doesn't mean we have some love-like feelings for each other. It could just mean we're friends. I could say the same about you and Tails, but I don't go round saying you look like you fancy each other, do I?' I retort, failing to hide the grin that escapes during my last sentence.

Shadow laughs, his deep voice resonating within me. 'She's got you there.'

Knuckles ignores the comment and points at Shadow. 'Still, that's not something that happens often. You barely ever laugh or smile, yet we have all seen you doing both today.'

'That again doesn't mean anything,' I comment. 'I could just be utterly hilarious.'

That gets another snort from Shadow, who actually looks like he's about to burst into laughter. 'Well, I can't deny that. You are pretty funny.' He says.

Knuckles looks back and forth between us, before looking sharply at Shadow. 'Just remember your position, Shadow. I don't want you getting hurt again.' As Knuckles walks away, Shadow's scowl returns, even more pronounced than before.

'And that's the way the cookie crumbles.' I murmur. Shadow looks curiously at me. 'My grandmother was a baker,' I explain. 'That was her favourite phrase for when there's a killjoy around.'

Shadow smiles again, although it looks a little half-hearted. 'I like that. It works.'

I nod. 'Feel free to use it whenever you want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and catch up with Amy. If she's found Sonic, I want to see how she's getting on.'

Shadow nods and turns towards the forest. I catch him murmuring the words 'it's been so hard to forget, and then he just has to shove it in my face again'. What the...?


	5. Amy - Crow

As I dance up to Sonic, I see him watch me warily. I don't know how I didn't notice it before, but it's obvious I make him uncomfortable. I give him a quick once-over and notice his raised shoulders. What was it Clove said? "Raised shoulders mean that he's thinking about something."

'You alright, Sonic?' I ask, making my voice sound light and casual, not the usual adoring-fan sort of tone.

Sonic seems to notice the difference, although makes no comment. 'What do you mean?'

'You look like you're thinking really hard about something. Is it Dr Eggman?' I stop a few feet away from him, giving him the space Clove suggested.

Sonic looks surprised, but nods slowly. 'Yes. I'm wondering what he's been up to, other than kidnapping Clove's sister. That would only take an hour or two, and he's been in hiding for a month and a half.'

I pause to consider this for a moment. 'Was that ray thing he shot us with new?' Sonic nods after a second of delay. 'Well, he could have been developing that for some of it. More of the time could have been spent either finding or building a new base.'

Sonic's beautiful emerald eyes stare inquisitively at me. 'That's a really good point, Amy.'

I huff in mock-offence. 'You don't have to sound so surprised.'

Sonic laughs, the sound making my heart stutter in my chest. It's always been one of my favourite things about him. 'Okay, I'm sorry. But to be fair, you don't always allow us the chance to have conversations like this.'

I lower my head. 'I'm really sorry about that. I realise now I've been too insistent on being in your company. I didn't notice it was making you uncomfortable.'

'Now wait just a moment,' Sonic says, his eyebrows lifting. 'It didn't make me uncomfortable. I was just afraid of letting you get too close to me. You're a good friend to me, Amy, but I'm just wary about starting the sort of relationship you want. With all these adventures I go on, being with someone in that way would mean I'm either never around, or they're constantly in danger. I don't really want either. I meant no offence by pushing you away.'

I stare at him in stunned silence. 'I had no idea,' I murmur. So he does like me! I thought, after seeing his expression when I approached, he didn't like me being there with him. Phew!

'So anyway, since we're onto this conversation, how about we go and find somewhere to sit so we can continue it in more comfort?' Sonic suggests, putting my full attention back on him.

'Sure.' I say, offering him a sweet smile, which he returns.

During the short walk to a lone tree in the middle of a large field, we move onto a slightly different topic. '...I don't think Shadow is ready for that yet. He's had some pretty bad trauma in his life, and it's made him extremely cautious about these sorts of things. Since he's immortal, it can't be easy watching those he gets close to start to deteriorate.' Sonic scratches the back of his neck and helps me into the branches of the tree.

'But you think it would work, right? If it were under different circumstances?' I ask, smiling my thanks to him and watching him nimbly climb onto the same branch as me. He drops down onto it and hangs his legs over the side.

'Oh, definitely. And I'm already beginning to suspect they're growing to really like each other. Like I said before though, Shadow probably won't let it get too far beyond that point.' Sonic puts his hands in his lap and looks directly at me.

'That's a shame. I kind of want him to have that sort of happiness. By closing himself off from everyone, he's not really living, is he?' I sigh and look dismally down at my hands, wondering how Shadow could possibly cope with that sort of life.

Sonic pats my knee reassuringly. 'I know it seems like a lonely life, and perhaps it is, but Shadow knows what he's doing.'

'I guess.' I smile at Sonic. A large crow lands on the branch directly above my head and squarks loudly, making me lose my balance. Sonic catches and steadies me though, and I thank him for it. I look up at crow, and find two beady, purple eyes looking straight back at me. 'That's not an ordinary crow, is it?' I whisper, making sure Sonic is looking where I am.

Sonic examines the bird for a second, before shaking his head. 'No. This is too calm to be wild, so it's either been tamed, or is a robot. We should go.'

I nod my silent agreement and jump down from my branch, landing in a crouch. Sonic takes my hand once he has landed too and pulls me into a exhilaratingly fast sprint, putting as much distance between us and the bird as possible. And while the run makes my body buzz a little, the warmth moving from his hand to mine makes my whole body come to life.

...

We run into the base - me breathing hard, Sonic barely out of breath - just as the sun dips below the horizon. Clove is outside, staring at the orange-red sea as if in some kind of trance. Everyone else, however, is gathered inside. In fact, Knuckles has already retired for the night. Silver looks up at us when we enter and, seemingly satisfied, gets up, heading towards his own room. Tails is typing away at his computer, muttering to himself about equations and other complicated things I can't get my head around.

I slump onto the nearest sofa, trying to regain control of my breathing. Clove comes running in and looks at me strangely. 'Chaos, I can hear your breathing from outside!' She exclaims. 'How long were you running?'

I look at Sonic, who answers. 'About ten minutes. It was more my sort of rate though, so Amy was being a little stretched.' He turns to face me. 'Sorry, by the way.'

I laugh lightly. 'Don't be, I enjoyed it.'

Sonic nods, then yawns. 'Well, I'm going to call it a day. See you guys tomorrow.' He leaves, Tails following wordlessly behind, and I turn to face Clove, who raises an eyebrow at me.

'Well?' She demands.

I glance at Shadow, but he seems immersed in his own thoughts, so I reply. 'It's working, it seems. Sonic took me further towards the centre of the island. We spent the whole time talking about... things.' I hide my expression from Clove. I don't want to go into our conversation about her and Shadow. That would be awkward, especially with both of them present right now.

Shadow, his timing as impeccable as always, stretches and leaves, murmuring a brief 'goodnight'. Clove watches him retreat, and I can't help but mirror her actions by raising an eyebrow. 'What?' She asks, sitting beside me.

'What was that about?' I ask slyly.

'What was what about?' Clove frowns. She's honestly confused! Ha, this could be fun!

'You were keeping tabs on Shadow the whole time. Your eyes followed him as he left.' I say, leaning back against the sofa cushion and smirking.

Clove's cheeks glow bright red. 'I was?' When I nod, she looks away, frowning. 'I... didn't even realise. Why would I do that?' She seems to be muttering to herself, but when she looks at me again, I decide she was, in fact, addressing me. When I open my mouth to respond, though, Clove goes pale. I mouth 'what's wrong?' to her, but she just shakes her head, tilting it towards the door. 'There's someone listening,' she whispers. 'I can just about hear their heartbeat.' I gape at her. That's something only Shadow can do. I think she was being serious when she said she was a bit like all of the guys to Eggman earlier. Clove suddenly chuckles, shaking her head. 'They're gone. I think whoever it was heard me, panicked, then left.' Again, I think of Shadow. I could barely hear her, and I'm right next to her! But if it was Shadow then that means he heard our conversation.

A sudden wash of exhaustion claims my body, and I yawn widely. 'Sorry, I'm really tired. I'm going to bed.' I stand and head towards my designated spare room. As I start walking up the stairs, I hear a bedroom door close softly. I shake my head and smile. Okay, I think to myself, this has to happen!


	6. Shadow - Dreams

I slip back inside my room and close the door as quietly as I can. Still, I think Amy hears me. I walk over to the bed and flop onto the springy mattress, preparing to go to sleep. The only problem is, I know I'm not tired. I slept very well last night and, although I didn't eat much today, my strength is still with me. Whenever my eyes close, pictures flash across my eyelids, of all sorts of things.

After what seems like a lifetime, I finally sigh and give up. Throwing back the covers, I step out of bed and shake out my quills. The position of my Chaos Emerald shifts a little and I quickly put it securely back where it was. I open my door silently and tiptoe down the stairs, wincing when one of them creaks under my weight. Luckily, I can't hear any sound of movement, so I continue down to the ground floor, breathing a light sigh of relief.

I enter living room and stop dead in my tracks after only four steps. Clove, her hand resting next to her face, is lying asleep on the sofa. Her expression is slightly troubled, a small crease showing between her eyebrows. I walk closer to her and stand about three feet away from the sofa, watching her as she squirms. A weak moan escapes her lips, and suddenly I realise what's going on. She's having some sort of dream, and it's not a good one. Stepping closer, I crouch down, pull off a glove, and press my hand very gently against her forehead. It's hot. Very hot. Sighing, I slip my glove back on and straighten, wondering what I can do. Waking her up is a last resort, because that would involve having to explain why I'm even here. Another cry comes from Clove's mouth, stronger and louder this time. I jump a little when she suddenly thrashes, completely turning over and almost rolling off the edge of the sofa. As gently as I can, I push her back into a safer position, but it's then that I notice the light sheen of sweat covering her body.

Clove begins to murmur weakly. 'No! Don't kill him. Not him. K-Kill me instead.' A pause, then, 'I'd do anything to save his life. To save them all, if I could.' Another pause, much longer this time. I am just relaxing, thinking it's over, when Clove's mouth opens and she screams at the top of her lungs. That's the last straw. I press my hands to her shoulders and shake her vigorously, but she doesn't wake. Clove begins to moan again just as Knuckles and Amy come rushing into the room.

'What the hell is going on?!' Knuckles demands.

'I have no idea,' I respond, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

I shake Clove again, but it only makes her scream. 'No, stop! Stop! Shadow, make it stop! Please!' I take a shaky step back, my legs trembling and going numb. That was not what I was expecting. I'm in her dream?! Amy steps forwards and, heart racing, starts trying to rouse Clove out of her deep sleep. Sonic, Silver and Tails finally join us, and gape at the sight of Clove thrashing wildly. "Shadow, make it stop!" That's what she said. I wonder if it is only in the dream or if it is literal, and only I can wake her up before she wakes naturally.

I close my eyes and breathe in a deep breath. 'And, that's the way...' I start to mutter to myself, sighing. As soon as the beginning of the sentence has passed from my lips, Clove grows silent, and her eyes open.

'...the cookie crumbles.' She finishes in a weary voice. Our eyes meet, and Clove smiles weakly at me. I don't return the smile; that was way to painful to watch for me.

'Are you alright, Clove?' Amy asks gently.

Clove shifts her silver eyes to her friend and gives an uncertain nod. 'It would just a dream, so I'm fine.'

'That was a pretty serious dream, Clove.' Sonic says sadly. 'You woke us all up because of your screaming.'

'S-Screaming?' Clove shivers, and her cheeks turn a rosy pink. 'Oh, that's just brilliant,' she grumbles quietly.

'What were you dreaming about?' Silver asks, stepping forward and crouching next to Amy.

'I...' Clove swallows, her eyes closing as she no doubt recalls the contents of her dream. I'm curious too, of course, but after she screamed my name, I'm not sure I want to know. 'I was in a dark room. All the lights were off apart from four red ones. There were chains holding my arms behind my back, and I was alone with Dr Eggman and a dark hedgehog. It was a girl; her fur was a really deep red and she had lilac stripes on her quills, much like the way Shadow has red ones. Eggman was explaining about some sort of machine that harnesses the Chaos Energy in an Emerald or a person. Then a few of you showed up. Shadow, Sonic and Silver. You blew a hole in the wall and each stepped inside. Eggman tried to hit you all with his freeze ray blast, but he missed Shadow. He then called some of his more powerful mechs to kill Shadow. Shadow of course defeated them all.' A few faces turn my way, but I keep my attention on the fear in Clove's eyes. 'But while he was distracted, Eggman recharged his freeze ray and locked Shadow in place. Eggman threatened to kill him, but I...' Clove chokes and looks down at her hands, her cheeks flaming. 'I begged him to kill me instead, to spare his life no matter what. To keep you all alive for at least another day. That entertained him somewhat. Eggman obliged, and shot me with some sort of purple ray of light. It hit me square in the chest, and it felt like my soul was being sucked from me. And it hurt. Chaos only knows how much it hurt. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the fact that you would be safe, at least for a while. The ray was draining my energy, and I lost the will to live. I had no idea what it was doing, but I just wanted it to end. Then... I woke up.' Clove's voice grew gradually weaker towards the end of her description, and by the end it was barely more than a whisper.

For the next minute and a half, the living room is in silence, each of us sorting through our own thoughts. Then finally, Tails speaks. 'You said the machine Eggman had created could harness the Chaos Energy in a person, right?' Clove nods. 'Then he used it on you?' Another nod.

This gets my attention, and I quickly understand. 'That implies you have Chaos Energy within you, like Sonic and I.'

Clove smiles weakly. 'It was just a dream,' she reminds us.

Silver frowns. 'A dream that could potentially have some truth to it. Tails, do you have any way of checking for Chaos Energy?'

Tails nods. 'I'll go and get the machine fired up.' Tails walks off, and after a moment of hesitation, I follow.

'Tails,' I call after the little fox kid.

'Yes?'

'I think you should also boot up the x-ray machine. I believe that Clove has gained more of my abilities than anyone else's, and I'm wondering if she's got some of my hybridity in her as a result.'

Tails dips his head. 'It's an interesting theory. I'll do it.'

'Thank you,' I say, before turning back around and heading for the living room. I lean against the door frame and see that Clove is surrounded by a group of concerned hedgehogs with a small glass of water in her hand. She still looks shaken, but I'm not surprised. That dream sounded as bad as some of the ones I have, and I often wake up very suddenly, only to find myself with a lack of oxygen in my lungs and sweat coating my fur. Clove's eyes droop a little as a watch, and she's not the only one. I step into the room, and Knuckles notices me.

'Oh, Shadow, you're back. What was all that about?'

I ignore his question. 'You all look pretty tired. I can stay up - I couldn't sleep anyway. You need the rest far more than I do.' They all nod and grudgingly leave us, so Clove and I are alone in the room.

I slowly approach Clove and sit on the edge of the sofa, next to her. Her body is trembling, causing a few stay water droplets to splash onto her hand and wrist. Sighing, I take the drink from her, put it on the table by the sofa and pull her into my arms. Rubbing her shoulder comfortingly, I realise she's still overly warm, although her temperature has dropped since before. Clove shivers against me, and presses closer to my fur.

My heart skips a beat in my chest, something Clove doesn't miss. 'Do I make you nervous, Ultimate Life Form?' She jokes half-heartedly.

'Since when did you know I was called that?' I ask, avoiding the question, because in truth, she does.

'Since you told me about your origins,' she murmurs tiredly, her eyelashes brushing lightly against my fur whenever she blinks. 'I've heard the story - my father told me when I was very little. The creation of a hybrid in space who was made to fight. Who was supposed to be the Ultimate Life Form. It's not exactly difficult to connect the dots.' I laugh, the rumble no doubt travelling through me into her. Clove lets out a wispy, contented sigh. 'You know, you're a surprisingly good body pillow. I might have to rent you out if these dreams persist.'

I stroke her back and quills gently, resting my cheek against the top of her head. 'If that's what it takes to stop them, then I'll comply.' I murmur softly. Clove grunts weakly, and her heart rate slows with her breathing. I realise she's fallen asleep in my arms and, though I internally scold myself for it, I like it. The feel of her in my arms. Closing my eyes for a second, I tilt my head and press my lips to her forehead. Clove smiles in her sleep, but doesn't wake. For the next several seconds, I sit in silence, Clove resting comfortably in my arms.

Tails pokes his head round the door and whispers, 'they're both ready when you are.' He makes no comment on our position, so I adjust my hold on Clove's curvy frame and carry her over to the Chaos Energy detecter.

'You know how much Chaos Energy Sonc and I have, right?' I ask, my voice low so as not to wake Clove from her peaceful slumber.

'Yes, why?' Tails looks up at me very briefly, before getting to work scanning Clove's body.

'Just so we can compare them.' I shrug. Leaning against the wall with my arms folded over my chest, I watch as Tails' machine takes hundreds, if not thousands, of readings from Clove's body. I lift her up and take her to the x-ray machine while the results are being verified. There, the same process is repeated. Tails disappears into the first room to print out the results. While he's gone, I check Clove's temperature again. Well, at least her fever has broken. Tails saunters back in and, without actually looking at me, passes me the sheet. I stare at it for a long time, the information very slowly sifting through my brain. No way!


	7. Sonic - The Emerald

I wake to see Tails' head hovering over mine. 'Sonic,' he hisses, 'you need to come downstairs now. It's important.' I immediately become alert, and follow Tails downstairs into his lab. Shadow is stood in the room, staring blankly at the two pieces of paper in his hands.

'What's going on?' I ask through a yawn.

'She's not something we've ever come across before.' Tails says, slumping into his chair and holding his head in his hands.

'What do you mean?' I demand, looking from Shadow to Tails and back again.

'He means,' Shadow starts, 'that turning Clove into a hedgehog completely confused her body.' Shadow passes me the first sheet, with an x-ray of her.

'What the...?' I gasp, staring at the confusing picture before me. 'You mean she's some sort of... half-hybrid?'

Shadow nods. 'So it would seem. She was biological as a human, but me being a hybrid confused the machine that changed her, so she now has a lot of the genetically engineered traits that I have. The enhanced senses, the fire, the knowledge of combat and tactics. That's all been given to her because of this.'

I take a deep breath. 'Somehow I doubt this is the only weird news I'm going to get today.' Tails shakes his head while Shadow wordlessly passes me the second sheet. 'What?!' I exclaim. 'Both of us?!'

Shadow nods seriously. 'Yes. It would seem our Chaos Energy has combined. She now has the capacity to hold more than twice as much Chaos Energy as you, and just under twice as much as me.'

I feel myself swaying. 'But why are you telling me this? I get that it's useful to know but at the moment I can't see it's importance.'

Shadow sighs dramatically. 'It's important because, like Tails said before, she isn't like anything we've ever come across before. If Eggman were to discover about her...'

'... She'd be in a whole other world of danger,' I finish, finally understanding. 'So we'll get rid of these reports and don't let anyone else know. It'll just be us that know about her then, so she'll be safer from Eggman.'

Shadow nods and takes the sheets from me, quickly reducing them to a pile of cinders. 'What about Clove? Do we tell her about it?' He asks. I catch the smallest waver in his eyes, as if he's hesitant to ask.

I ponder this for a moment, then shake my head. 'No. Not yet anyway. When this is all over we can tell her. Or sooner, if it's really important.'

Shadow nods his ahead in agreement and goes back over to the x-ray machine. There, Clove is sleeping peacefully on the table. Shadow pulls her into his arms and carries her outside. I watch him as he goes, and see he turns towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

'Okay, Miles, what did you see?' I ask, my voice stern.

'Huh? What d'you mean?' Tails looks up at me, glaring for a second when I call him by his real name.

'You've got that look that tells me you saw something important that you don't want to share.' I perch on the edge of the x-ray table and look at him closely.

'I...' Tails sighs. 'I probably shouldn't tell you. I'd rather not end up a roasted fox tomorrow.'

'So it's about Shadow? Or Clove? Or both, for that matter?' I push for an answer.

Tails nods. 'I saw them together. Hugging. I think I even saw Shadow kiss Clove's head, although I can't be certain on that one.'

I smile, then grow serious again. 'I thought Shadow was trying not to get close to people.'

Tails shrugs, not meeting my eyes. 'I guess this is all still filtering through his mind. They didn't meet that long ago, and they're already at this stage. Maybe it just hasn't caught up with him yet.'

'Maybe,' I murmur, still doubtful.

...

I wake up late the next morning, due to my lack of sleep from when Clove woke us all up during the night. When I get into the living room, the only other people up are Shadow, Clove and Silver. Clove and Silver are having a quiet conversation, and Shadow is leaning against the main door frame, staring out into the garden. No doubt hearing me enter, Shadow and Clove both turn to face me in unison, as does Silver a beat later.

'Morning guys,' I say cheerfully.

'Hey, Sonic.' Silver and Clove reply together. I receive only a grunt of acknowledgement from Shadow, who's eyes are already shifting back outside.

'Ignore him,' Clove sighs, following my gaze. 'He's not spoken a word all morning.'

I chuckle to myself. I bet he hasn't. 'That's alright, I tend to ignore him in the morning anyway. He's always grumpy and scowling deeply in the morning.'

'He's actually like that all the time,' Silver smirks. Clove laughs, the light sound echoing around the walls. In the corner of my eye, I see some of the muscles in Shadow's back relaxing a little.

'You know what I mean; it's worse in the morning. Especially when he hasn't slept.' I shrug. Though this is only light banter, my comment makes Shadow sigh heavily and step outside. I stare after him for a second, before shrugging again. I clap my hands together. 'Right, so, what's on the menu this morning?'

...

I find myself staring at the tiny island about fourty miles out to sea. It can't be more than five miles in diameter, but something is drawing me to that place. 'You can feel it too, can't you?' A voice sounds behind me. I turn and see Clove walking towards me.

'Yes.'

She nods. 'So can Shadow, but the others can't.' As she says that, I think about the information I learnt last night. It must be Chaos Energy. Perhaps there is an Emerald on that island. Clove sighs. 'I know you're hiding something from me, Sonic. You're nervous. I understand if you can't tell me, but I would like an explanation if I can get it.'

I sigh and close my eyes for a moment. 'Yes, there's something I'm keeping from you. It is only so we can keep you safe, but if you really want to know, I'm aware I shouldn't keep it from you.'

Clove considers this for a moment. 'I think... I want to know.' She says finally.

'You have Chaos Energy within you. So do Shadow and I. It's what draws us all to that island, I think. But you have much more Energy in you, and we were worried what that would mean if somehow Dr Eggman discovered this.' I admit, kicking a small stone with my shoe.

Clove is silent for a moment, thinking things through, then she grins. 'I'll race you there.' She challenges.

I laugh. 'Oh, you're on!' We both get ready to run. '3... 2... 1... Go!' I count us down, and we both spring over the edge of the cliff. We land in the water at the same time and start skimming across it. Clove starts to pull ahead, and a smug grin appears on her features. We plunge onto the sand on the island and race through the woods covering the entire place. Clove comes to halt, and grabs my arm, stopping me too. 'What is it?' I ask, scanning the surrounding area carefully.

'There are machines here,' she whispers, tilting her head to the side. Her face grows flat. 'Eggman.'

I blink. 'He's here?' A confirming nod. 'How do you know?'

'I can hear them. They sound like his machines. There are six of them and... one of us. A hedgehog. They're close.' Clove's head whips to the right and she launches herself into the highest tree within reach. Quickly getting the message, I jump up after her, and we both scramble to the top just in time for three of the mechs to come floating into the clearing we were stood in only seconds ago. Clove leans forward and frowns. 'They're looking for something.'

And that's when I feel it. The buzz inside me, indicating the presence of a Chaos Emerald nearby. 'They're looking for the same thing as us.'

Clove nods. 'It's close. Really close,' she murmurs. Clove looks at the tree trunk and presses her ear against it. Her eyes close and she listens. Suddenly she's gone, disappearing down the trunk. I watch her purple form as it stops at a thick, lower branch, and she looks around. Her arm disappears inside the trunk and she pulls out a glowing white Chaos Emerald.

I chuckle to myself as she starts climbing back up, tucking the Emerald in her quills as she goes. 'She's too smart for her own good.'

Clove joins me again and, after checking we still remain hidden from the robots below, raises and eyebrow at me. 'I heard that.' She says.


	8. Clove - Betrayal

As soon as Sonic and I land on the ground, a hedgehog springs out from within the trees. She is a very dark red, and there are lilac stripes on her quills. The familiarity of the hedgehog causes me to take a shaky step backwards, my eyes never once leaving her. My heart starts racing, thumping so loudly I wonder if Sonic can hear it. Or the other hedgehog, for that matter. Sonic shoots me a concerned glance, but he turns to face the stranger again so quickly I almost miss it.

'Well, we weren't expecting visitors,' she drawls. My heart stutters. How could he have done that to her?

'Daisy?' I ask, my voice embarrassingly small and unnerved.

'Yes?' She turns to face me with a bored expression. 'Sorry, but do I know you?'

'And that's the way the cookie crumbles,' Shadow murmurs. Wait, Shadow?!

Sonic, Daisy and I whirl around to find Shadow and Silver standing behind us. A sharp pain hits me, and my heart freezes. It literally stops beating. My knees give out beneath me, but Shadow is there to catch me, and I stare up at him through unmoving eyes. Suddenly, my view shifts, and I find myself floating beside us. I am vaguely aware of Shadow lying me down, before he, Silver and Sonic lunge at my sister and the two dozen robots that are now gathered behind her.

Daisy, to everyone's surprise, dodges all of the attacks aimed at her until she is alone. She smirks at Shadow. 'You are not the only genetically engineered hedgehog, Shadow.' Spinning around, Daisy plunges into the trees, heading for the depths of the wood.

I expect the guys to follow, but instead they all rush towards me. It's only now I notice my wound. I was shot. I watch as Silver uses his Psychokenisis to pull the bullet out of my abdomen, and as Sonic whizzes around gathering leaves, then pressing them against my body to stop me bleeding. I know their attempts are futile, and Shadow should know it too, since my heart is no longer active. Yet they refuse to stop. Shadow's palms push against my chest, in the vain hope of restarting my heart. There are tears in the corners of each of their eyes, and I feel sorrow for the pain I'm causing them. A violent jerk brings me crashing back into my mind, and I begin to cough and retch. My eyes meet Shadow's relieved face, before rolling into the back of my head, and I see nothing but darkness.

...

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The slow, constant beeping of a machine indicates time is at least still passing, and I hear a shuffle. My ears begin to pick up more sounds, and then I become aware of a conversation.

'How else could that have happened?' Sonic demands.

'She could've been mistaken,' Amy says weakly. Her voice is croaky and hoarse.

A ruffle of quills - someone shaking their head? 'No, this isn't something she'd get wrong.' Sonic says.

'Sonic is right,' Shadow agrees solemnly. His voice is closer to me than the others'. 'The voice of your sibling is easily identifiable after spending so long growing up together. There was no doubt in Clove's tone when she said Daisy's name.'

'I just wish it could be someone else. I can't imagine the turmoil her mind must be in right now.' Amy murmurs.

'We all wish that, Amy,' Sonic says. 'But this unfortunately isn't something we can undo.'

'Eggman is despicable. I don't know what he did to turn a hostage to his side, but, for Clove's sake, he should pay.' The determination in Amy's voice shocks me.

'I agree,' Shadow says quickly. Another ruffle of quills. Possibly a nod this time.

A stab of pain shoots through my stomach, and a slight moan escapes my lips. I feel an ungloved hand press against my forehead. 'She's a little clammy, but her temperature is at least normal.' Shadow announces.

'I'm not surprised,' Sonic says. 'She almost died.'

A beat of silence, then Shadow mutters in a pained voice. 'She did die.'

'... What?' Amy cries.

Shadow's breath hitches in his throat. 'Her heart stopped beating about a second or so after she was shot.'

'Then why...?' Sonic asks.

'... I don't know.' Shadow admits. 'All I could think about was bringing her back. I knew she was the only person who could save the world, but there was also something more personal at work.'

'You have feelings for her,' Amy says softly.

Shadow is silent for a moment. 'I... don't know.' His voice is quiet. 'It's not quite like before. This is different. I'm still trying to figure it out.'

The beeping heart rate monitor flutters very briefly, and the silence that follows is almost suffocating. 'Can she hear us?' Sonic asks, his light footsteps moving closer to me.

'That would imply she can,' Tails says, walking over to me. He's here too? 'What I'm getting on the screen however is exactly the same as before. She's still apparently in shutdown.'

Shutdown? What in Chaos' name is he on about? Amy, as if reading my thoughts, asks. 'What do you mean, shutdown?'

Another pause. 'I don't think you should know.' Tails says slowly.

'If it's about Clove then I deserve to know! She's my friend!' Amy explodes.

Sonic's even reply seems to calm her down. 'She's everyone's friend, Amy. We only want to keep her safe. Keep you all safe. It's for that reason we've agreed to keep this between the three of us.'

Amy sighs. 'I want to know. I don't care if it puts me in danger. I don't like being left out.' You're not the only one, Amy.

Shadow sighs heavily. 'Whatever, I don't care.'

Sonic starts speaking after a brief moment of hesitation. 'When Clove was changed into a hedgehog, she took some characteristics from Silver, Knuckles, Shadow and I. That's why she's got my speed and Silver's Psychokenisis. But from Shadow she got his internal structure. As you know, Shadow is a hybrid, and wasn't biologically born. He is immortal, and has very enhanced senses. Clove got this too, so she has his immortality, his senses, even his fire influence. She can hold more Chaos Energy than us too, and so if Eggman finds out about her, she'd be his primary target.' My thoughts whir around in my head, slowly joining together and making sense. I'm... immortal?

'So, Clove is going to outlive every one of us?' Amy asks.

'Yes. And like Shadow did, she'll soon find out that getting too close to people will cause her a great deal of pain.' Sonic sounds broken, as if the thought makes him feel some sort of sadness or pity.

Amy shudders. 'Ooh, I need air!' She sprints from the room and, after a second, two more pairs of feet follow her out.

'I know you can hear us, Clove.' Shadow says. 'Your emotions are going haywire.' I want to smile, and I think my lips quirk a little, but then a heavy wash of exhaustion hits me, and I tumble into unconsciousness once more.


	9. Shadow - Rescue

As I look down at Clove's body, the rest of the group leave the room. I smirk at her, feeling the emotions whizz around her head. 'I know you can hear us, Clove.' I say, not able to fight my smile. 'Your emotions are going haywire.' Clove's lips twitch, and a tiny smile stretches over her face for a second, before her mind goes silent again. I sigh and hold my head in my hands, trying to understand what I feel towards her. My love for Maria was a controlled sort of affection. I found myself wanting to spend more time with her than anyone else. But this is a whole other level. I always want to be by Clove's side. I want to hold her, comfort her, whatever she needs. This feeling has hit me so hard, and it troubles me in a way I can't explain. And the fact that I won't outlive her only enhances my feelings. I truly believe I am falling in love with her already.

...

I hear the slow footsteps before I see who they belong to, but when I look up from my position, I see Clove staggering into the room, looking extremely unsteady. I jump up and walk over to her, folding her in my arms. Clove buries her face in the white fur on my chest, holding me close.

'I'm sorry I overheard what you said,' she says, her voice sounding muffled. 'You probably didn't want me to hear that.'

I shake my head and press my lips tenderly against her head. 'I knew you were listening, remember? It was intended.'

Clove looks up at me with tears in her eyes and sighs. 'I'm sorry,' she says, wiping them away, 'I'm a mess right now.'

'It's nothing to worry about. I probably would be too if I found out what you did.' I say, a little worried. I'm not sure if she's talking about what I said or the situation with her sister.

'Still, being betrayed like that wasn't something I'd expected from someone like Daisy.' Clove squeezes me tighter against her and buries her face in my shoulder, making it damp because of her tears. I awkwardly stroke the back of her head, and eventually she calms down. 'Where is everyone?'

I shrug. 'Amy went outside about ten minutes ago, and Sonic, Knuckles and Tails have wandered off somewhere. I've no idea where Silver is - I haven't seen him once so far today.'

Clove tilts her head to the side. 'How long has it been since I was shot?'

I wince, wishing she'd never asked. It isn't something I've ever wanted to tell her myself. 'Six days,' I murmur, nuzzling her cheek with mine.

Clove shivers and kisses my cheek, pulling away. 'It would seem I owe Amy some lessons. I'll see you later.' I nod and watch her as she walks off. She stops once outside the door, before sprinting towards the south. I sigh. So I do love her, after all. And she's still dead set on getting Sonic together with Amy, which for some unfathomable reason irritates me.

...

I am lying carelessly on the grass when Clove comes running up to me. The frightened look on her face immediately sets me on edge. 'What's wrong?' I ask, jumping to my feet.

'It's Amy,' Clove says. 'She gone.'

I pull on Clove's hand and drag her inside the base, where everyone else is gathered. On seeing us charging into the building, the atmosphere turns instantly sour. 'What's happened?' Knuckles demands.

'Amy's gone missing.' I sigh. She can be such a pain sometimes.

I notice Sonic has gone ghostly pale, his lips opening and closing like he's a fish out of water. 'When?' His voice is dry and cracked.

Clove shakes her head. 'I don't know. Some time between eight and nine thirty this morning, I think. I've been looking everywhere for her but she's nowhere.'

Silver puts a reassuring hand on Sonic's shoulder. 'That's okay, we'll go and find her.'

Clove seems to find something amusing, because she smiles at me. 'It would seem I don't care for devising a plan right now.' She says. And then she's gone. A strong gust of wind hits me as her body forces it out the way.

I blink back my shock, and reach out to catch Sonic as he tries to run after her. 'Oh no you don't,' I growl. 'You are staying here with us. We are making a plan.'

'But what about Amy and Clove, huh?' Sonic demands, glaring at me.

'Amy will be rescued, and Clove can easily take care of herself,' I reply. 'What we need to do is make sure nothing can go wrong. Spontaneity is not good when you think about Eggman's current position.'

Sonic pouts, but submits. 'Fine, we'll do it your way for now.'

I nod in satisfaction. 'Tails, get a map of that island,' I instruct, my tactical side making a full appearance.


	10. Amy - Cornered

I moan when I wake up, the blow to my head causing it to throb uncomfortably. Looking around, I find myself in a small prison cell, with handcuffs tying my hands behind my back. I sigh. I don't even know what happened. One minute I was walking through the forest then the next I'm... here. Something must have knocked me out, but what? Why? As I sit here pondering this, I don't realise I have a visitor until he is standing directly in front of me, on the other side of the bars. Dr Eggman.

'I see our little pink hedgehog has finally woken. Good, now you can help me.' Eggman unlocks the door and drags me out, pulling hard on my chains.

'Be more careful.' I snap. Eggman ignores me, although I expected no less. Eggman leads me to a large, dark room. There are two machines next to each other in the centre, each facing different directions. In four corners of the room, dim red lights cast a glow into the room. My feet freeze. How can this be possible?! Eggman, patient as ever, pushes me roughly forward. 'What do those machines do?' I ask, staring at them both and wondering which one is the one Clove described from her dream.

'Now, I'm glad you asked.' He points to the one on the left. 'That one has the power absorb Chaos Energy from anything, be it Emerald or person.' Now he points to the right one. 'That one can cause a person immeasurable pain inside their heads. You will be experiencing that one, so you can tell me about your little purple friend.'

I swallow. Eggman forces me into a cold metal chair and straps my arms down so I have very little wiggle space. He then takes a small key from his pocket and removes my handcuffs, revealing red, raw wrists. He nods towards the machine, and that's when I see Daisy. Her eyes sharp, Daisy starts up the machine and aims it directly at me. The yellow beam shoots straight at me, and I close my eyes, preparing myself for the pain.

But it doesn't come.

Instead, a tormented scream permeates the room. I open my eyes and see Clove crouched on the floor, her shoulders and back tense, her fingers gripping the floor as she grits her teeth against the pain. 'You irritating little hedgehog!' Eggman spits, before grinning. 'Still, I can now get the information directly from you.'

Clove moans, and I fight against the binds holding me down. Eggman slowly approaches Clove's body and crouches beside her. 'What could you possibly want to know?' She hisses.

'Everything,' Eggman breathes.

Clove looks up at Daisy and stares at her treacherous sister. 'My name is Clove,' she squeezes out. 'And that,' she points at Daisy, 'is my sister.' Another groan escapes the confines of Clove's lips.

Eggman starts walking towards his machine and, after turning a few knobs, punches the button again. The yellow light grows in size, and Clove lets out an agonised scream. Then another, then a third. Using what remains of her power, Clove summons her sword and throws it towards the machine. It hits home in the beam generator, and the yellow light stops. Clove slumps on the ground, exhausted.

'No!' Eggman yells. Daisy seems to have been frozen in place, her black eyes on her sister.

Clove coughs, and takes a glimmering white Chaos Emerald out from within her quills. She concentrates on it, and suddenly she's back to her normal, energetic self. Clove jumps to her feet and, after hiding the Chaos Emerald away again, turns to face Eggman. 'My name is Clove,' she repeats in a deadly voice. 'I was a human being, but became a hedgehog. I have Sonic's speed, Silver's Psychokenisis and Shadow's internal structure. I can absorb Chaos Energy from the Emeralds. And you have stolen my sister from me.'

Eggman stares at her, before summoning twenty of his mechs. Clove looks pointedly at me, her expression clearly saying 'stay calm', and then she turns into a purple blur. As the mechs are destroyed, I manage to work my hands out of their binds. I jump up and get out my piko piko hammer. But the mechs have already been obliterated, and lie in scattered heaps across the floor. Eggman presses a button on the console strapped to his wrist, and one of his freeze rays hit both Clove and me. I expect Clove to be able to move, but she too is frozen.


	11. Clove - Dream Come True

'After the previous ray failed to stop you,' Eggman drawls, 'I had to make some adjustments. It would seem you're more resistant to these things than everyone else. Cuff them!' A mech comes up behind me and pulls my arms behind my back, strapping them in cuffs. The same happens to Amy, and then Eggman disables the ray, making us both able to move again.

'And just what do you plan to do?' I hiss viciously.

'I plan to use you to lure your friends here. Though admit my original intention was to use Amy Rose, I think you will be more effective. Then I can harness the large amounts of Chaos Energy in Shadow the Hedgehog's body. I will do the same to you and Sonic, but he is my main target, because he is the most valuable of the three of you.'

My blood boils hot at this comment, and I fight back a retort. 'You won't succeed,' is all I say. Revealing my feelings for Shadow to Dr Eggman would only be bad for us.

Eggman snorts and orders some mechs to take Amy away. I share a worried glance with her just as she is whisked from the room. 'Now, Clove, do you know what this is?' He points to one of the large machines in the centre of the room.

I act nonchalant. 'It's a machine that drains away Chaos Energy from a specimen.'

Eggman raises a surprised eyebrow. 'Exactly how long were you here before you jumped in front of little Amy?'

'About a second,' I reply. It's true - I got in and immediately registered something terrible was about to happen. I was in front of Amy before I realised it.

'Then how...?'

'Is it important?' I snap. 'I know what it is, does it matter why? Maybe I've just seen something like it before.'

'Have you seen something like it before?' Eggman asks, pulling me directly in front of the machine. Daisy appears to be in a state of shock, and hasn't moved from her earlier position.

I nod my confirmation. 'Once.'

Eggman shrugs and ties me to the handle of the chair while I'm distracted. 'Daisy,' Dr Eggman calls. Daisy finally moves, and she looks Eggman in the eye directly. 'Prepare the machine for activation.' A little nod. As Daisy starts to set up the machine, Eggman walks to her side.

I concentrate most of my attention on freeing myself, but even my fire won't work on the cuffs. Apparently they're fireproof. Eventually I give up and slump onto the floor. Looking up at the machine, I see both Daisy and Eggman working together on the machine. Eggman starts to lecture me about how the machine works, but I tune him out. A loud crash alerts me to the presence of three hedgehogs coming in through a hole in the wall. Sonic, Shadow and Silver. I feel the blood drain from my face.

My dream. It is exactly the same as my dream.

Eggman grins and presses the button on his freeze ray controller and aims it at the three of them, catching Sonic and Silver. Shadow, however, manages to jump out of the way in time. Eggman growls and summons a dozen powerful robots to attack Shadow and, as I expect, recharges his freeze ray while Shadow deals with the mechs that are shooting at him. I am not surprised when Shadow becomes immobile and stops moving. His eyes find mine and I give him a pointed nod.

Eggman starts laughing. 'And here is the gift. I knew having Clove here with me would lure you in, and it has done so. This is an Energy draining machine, and it can harness your Chaos Energy. It'll kill you in the process, but that's only a minor point. And then Sonic and Clove get their turn.'

'No! Don't kill him. Not him. K-Kill me instead.' I find myself screaming out the words before I even think to.

'You would give your own life to save his? You would do that?' Eggman asks, apparently amused.

'I'd do anything to save his life. To save them all, if I could.' I reply determinedly.

Eggman shrugs. 'They only die after you.'

'No,' I say harshly. 'You give them a day. What you don't realise is Shadow isn't who you want.'

'Clove, don't!' Shadow shouts from his frozen position ten metres away.

'No, Shadow, this could save you. I'm giving you any chance of surviving for a little longer that I can.' I face Eggman directly. 'There is more Chaos Energy in my body than either of theirs, because they used themselves to turn me into one of them. You give them a day, and you can have me.'

Eggman ponders this. 'Very well. You'd better not be lying.'

I nod and close my eyes, preparing myself for the end of my life. 'Clove!' Shadow's shout reaches my ears, and I turn to face him. His expression is terrified and panicked, and I can tell he's trying to break his way free of the bonds holding him still. I shake my head and, after a moment of pause, mouth the words "I love you" to him. That makes him stop.

The buzzing of the machine gets my attention, and I turn defiantly back to face the thing that'll end my life. 'Do it.' I order, knowing full well that I'm in no position to do so.

Eggman grins. 'Gladly.' His fist smacks a pulsing red button, and the familiar purple ray comes flying towards me. It hits me where I expect it to - right on the chest. The pain that hits me is excruciating. I scream my lungs out, and don't fight the tears that escape my eyes. It feels like my entire life is being sucked from me. My soul.

Without meaning to, I call out. 'No, stop! Stop! Shadow, make it stop! Please!'

'Clove!' Shadow roars. The ray hitting the three of them suddenly shatters in mid air, and they're all free. The ray hitting me is also stopped. I sink to the ground, exhausted, drained. A strange yellow mist is floating around the Chaos Energy draining machine, and it begins to move towards me. It's like I'm sucking it back in again. As it fills me up, I find myself surging with power, and the chains holding me down explode in a collection of tiny shards.

I jump up and join Sonic, Shadow and Silver's assault on the control console and Eggman. For some reason, everyone is avoiding Daisy. Perhaps it's for my sake. Sonic grabs Eggman from behind and slaps some cuffs on his wrists. Then the machines start to fall apart due to Shadow and Silver's ceaseless assaults.

I turn to face my sister. 'What made you join his side, Daisy?' I demand. 'What did you hope to gain from it?'

'I got greedy.' She spits. 'Eggman wants to take over the world and I thought that sounded like fun.'

'Fun?! You think that's fun?!' I cry.

Daisy shrugs. 'Why not?'

I sigh and shrug. 'Whatever. We will let you off this once, but if you continue to cause trouble, you'll be like Eggman over there.'

Daisy and I look over at Sonic and Silver, who are dragging a cuffed and gagged Dr Eggman towards the door. Sonic lets go and leaves him with Silver, then turns to face me. 'Where's Amy?'

I point towards the right hand door. 'I think she's been taken to the prison. Down that way.' Sonic nods and runs of down the corridor. Daisy, Silver and Eggman leave through the hole in the wall, leaving Shadow and I alone.

Shadow turns to face me and scowls. 'That was careless.' He says gruffly. 'What did you offer yourself up for?' He stalks towards me and stops about half a foot away.

'If I could buy you guys some more time, you could survive. Anything to save you, I had to try.' I say, folding my arms over my chest.

'Do you really think dying would not effect us? I can't speak for the others, but if you didn't survive then I wouldn't live.' Shadow takes my arms in his hands and his fingers press down against my skin.

'Shadow...' I start.

'No, Clove, listen!' He growls. His gaze is fierce, and unlike anything I've ever seen in him before. 'You cannot just throw your life away, even if it's to save someone else. Not without me. I can't live without you, Clove. I just can't.' Shadow hangs his head, clamping his eyes closed and trembling.

Tears appear in my eyes, and I lift his face with a hand under his chin. 'I'm sorry,' I whisper. 'I had no idea.'

Shadow sighs, his red eyes shimmering. He pulls me against him, and I press my ear against his chest. His heart is thumping very fast, and his breaths come quite quickly too. I grip his body and bury my face in his fur. 'I love you, Clove,' he murmurs.

I smile against his body. 'And I love you.' I whisper. Shadow pushes me back and dips his head down, pressing his lips forcefully against mine. The kiss is sweet and warm, and I find myself melting into him as I kiss him back. When we pull apart, Shadow has tears in his eyes. 'Happy tears, I hope.' I smile weakly.

Shadow nods and kisses me again, quickly this time. 'Yes. Very happy tears.' I laugh and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Shadow returns my hug and buries his face in my quills, nuzzling my neck. He then takes my hand and leads me outside, both of us smiling happily.


	12. Amy - Fondness

The robot takes me down a series of winding corridors. I lose count of all the twists and turns we take. In fact, we're still moving after almost ten minutes, and that's when Sonic appears. He quickly disposes of the robot and looks at me, relieved.

'Sonic!' I cry, happy beyond belief. 'How long have you been here?'

Sonic shrugs whilst unlocking the cuff around my wrists. 'About ten minutes. I came looking for you; we're leaving.' I nod and smile. Sonic suddenly turns serious, his cheeks reddening a tad. 'I realised something earlier, when I first found out you were missing. As soon as Shadow and Clove told us, I couldn't think of anything else but rescuing you.' Sonic sighs and looks down. 'You've been making a real effort to get me to feel comfortable around you, haven't you?'

'I won't deny it,' I say, wondering where this is going.

'I enjoy the time I spend with you, Amy. I really do. And... I think I like you. The way you like me.' He admits, scratching the back of his neck.

My heart skips a beat. 'Really?' When he nods, I grin at him. 'Oh, that really makes me happy!'

Sonic frowns. 'You know, I kind of expected you to be jumping at me when I told you this. You really payed attention to Clove's advice, didn't you?' I nod, surprised he knows about that. 'I'm impressed.' Sonic steps forwards and pulls me into his chest, hugging me. I hug him back with all my might, and then find myself in his arms and flying through the corridors.

Sonic slows as we near the main room and takes my hand. He gives me a devilish grin and presses a finger against his lips. Understanding the action but not the reasons behind it, I nod. Sonic pulls me silently along the corridor and the dark room - previously dark room; it's now bathed in light from outside - comes into view. I have to bite back a gasp of surprise and horror.

In the middle of the room are Clove and Shadow, and Shadow is gripping Clove's arms tightly, a fierce glare on his face. I want to step forward and intervene, but Sonic stops me, his look warning me to wait a little longer. I turn cautiously back to Clove and Shadow, and find them embracing each other. Shadow murmurs something to Clove, and, after smiling, Clove replies with something that looks suspiciously like 'and I love you.'

A flash of something unfamiliar appears in Shadow's eyes, before he quickly pushes her away and their lips lock. I feel tears springing to my eyes and my hand grips Sonic's a little harder. He glances at me and squeezes me back. I watch as Shadow and Clove, after another kiss and hug, leave the building hand-in-hand.

I release the breath I didn't realise I was holding. 'Oh that's so sweet!' I squeal. 'I'm so felicitous.'

Sonic laughs. 'Felicitous? What's wrong with just happy?'

I pout. 'Nothing, but felicitous sounds more grown up.'

Sonic wraps and arm around me and tugs me against him. 'You are grown up, Amy Rose.'

I smile up at him and give him a small peck on the cheek. 'Now let's go! I'm sick of this place already.'

...

Clove sees me and Sonic approach and breaks away from Shadow, running up to us and giving me a friendly hug. 'Oh, Amy, never do that to me again! When I couldn't find you I didn't know what to think.'

'Heh, sorry, Clove.' I say as we pull away from each other.

'Yeah you'd better be,' she grumbles half-heartedly.

I lean towards her and whisper in her ear. 'Project Blur is a success.'

Clove gasps and claps her hands in delight. Then, so as not to give Sonic any clues, runs off and joins Shadow again, kissing his cheek. Shadow smirks and shakes his head, but makes no comment. Sonic slides his fingers between mine and we make our way back towards the beach separating this island to the larger one which is our home. Shadow and Clove sprint ahead, disappearing from view after only a few seconds. Sonic scoops me up in his arms, presses his lips to my forehead (stunning me into silence in the process) and races after them.

Leaping onto the cliff, Sonic and I join Clove and Shadow, where they are waiting, Shadow nonchalant as usual, Clove with a grin on her face. 'Okay, you two are too cute together,' she says. 'Go somewhere else.'

I laugh and look at her seriously. 'The same could be said for you,' I point out.

'Yes, but Shadow and I got here first, therefore it falls to you to get lost.' Clove argues.

Sonic, still not putting me down, grins. 'If you say so.' He turns round and sprints into the forest with me nestled comfortably in his arms.


	13. Shadow - Repercussion

As soon as I Sonic and Amy disappear, Clove grabs my hand and pulls me south. It's not somewhere I've been too often, so I don't know where she's taking me. After a few minutes, Clove stops, looking around. She then walks to the left and leads me into a wide clearing. A small lake is in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by blossoming trees, pale lilies and long grass. A few petals drift in the wind, and one lands on Clove's head. She laughs and shakes it off.

'I accidentally discovered this place while looking for Amy,' she explains, sitting down on the grass. 'Almost ran into the lake.'

I seat myself beside her, before lying down, the grass rising above my eyes. 'It's really quite a place,' I admit, revealing my softer side, albeit hesitantly.

Clove lies right next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. 'I like to think of it as a place for relaxing. There aren't many of them around anymore.'

I shake my head, cradling her body in my arm. 'Nor do we often have the time.'

Clove sighs. 'I know. I hope my entire isn't quite this hectic. While I love it, I have a feeling it'd drive me mad after a while.' Clove suddenly grins, and her silver eyes spark mischievously. 'How old are you, Shadow?'

I groan. 'If you really have to know, I'm actually nearing fifty.'

Clove blinks, before a gentle smile appears on her face. 'You don't seem fifty,' she murmurs, turning her face into my body and closing her eyes.

'That's a benefit immortality brings. You're likely to stay this age for the rest of your life.' I say, absentmindedly running a finger up and down her arm.

Clove shivers. 'I think I could live with that.'

'Mhmm,' I agree.

Clove suddenly snaps her eyes open and frowns. 'What exactly happened back there? What made the rays stop?'

I frown too. 'I'm not too sure. I think it was something about your Chaos Energy. It was too powerful for the machine or something like that. Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened.' I lean my head to the side and kiss Clove's head.

Clove smiles lazily and closes her eyes again. 'Me too.'

...

When we return to the base, everyone is a whir of action. 'What's going on?!' I demand, stepping forward and stopping Knuckles in his tracks.

'Soleanna is under attack,' Knuckles reports glumly, before turning to face Clove. 'It's Daisy. She sent us this.' Knuckles presses a hologram projection device into Clove's hand, before hurrying off again.

Clove, without hesitation, presses the "run" button on the front. A distorted image of Daisy appears. 'Clove,' she starts. 'I am aware of your threat from earlier, but have decided to peruse my dreams. Dr Eggman and I have been developing a weapon beneath Soleanna, and I have started the programme. Every minute a bomb will go off in Soleanna, until there is nothing left. Once that is over, a chain reaction will start, making a drill burrow down into the planet's mantle and causing magma to spew out from specific points across the globe. If you bring your friends and try to stop me, I will abandon the immediate destruction of Soleanna and initiate the final stage. Have fun!' Daisy's image flickers and dies down, and I turn to face Clove. Her face is distorted with rage, and with a single clench of her fist, the hologram is crushed in her palm.

'I guess we now know what quality you got from Knuckles,' I mutter, trying to keep her mind away from Daisy.

Clove ignores me and, after pressing her lips hotly against mine, whispers in my ear. 'I'm so sorry, but you can't help me. This is personal. Do not follow me.' Then she pulls the Chaos Emerald out from her quills and shouts 'Chaos Control!' She disappears before I can stop her.

Cursing under my breath, I join Sonic by the computer, looking over the city as certain sections explode and go up in flames. I watch in stunned silence as Clove runs from one place to another, darting across the screens, until she is almost at the old laboratory. I take out my own Emerald and Chaos Control myself right in front of her.


	14. Clove - Decisions

I collide with a body I didn't see in front of me, and we both topple onto the ground. I look beneath me and groan. 'What part of don't follow me did you not understand?' I ask, pulling us both to our feet.

'What part of don't offer your life without me being there with you did you not understand?' Shadow counters.

I sigh. 'Fine, point taken. But Shadow, Daisy is my sister. I know her better than anyone else. I can stop her, but if you're there with me then it's over. You heard what she said. Daisy never mentioned me going alone.'

Shadow shakes his head stubbornly. 'I can see the logic in that, and we can go with it, but I'm staying with you until that moment.'

I pause, then reluctantly agree. 'Okay, Shadow. Let's go.' I take off running, Shadow following behind me, and we enter the old laboratory together.

...

The hallways are eerily quiet, and as we walk along them, I find myself grasping Shadow's hand. 'Despite everything, I'm really glad you're here.' I admit.

Shadow squeezes my hand comfortingly, although his face maintains its iconic scowl. 'Something isn't right here,' he says. 'It's far too quiet.' As he speaks, a loud crash sounds from the corridor to our right, followed by an agitated curse.

I chuckle to myself. 'She never changes.' We change course and walk down the corridor until we reach the door at the end. I turn towards Shadow and remind him with a look what he promised. After a nod, Shadow takes my face in his hands and kisses me sweetly, before stepping into the shadows, allowing me to go in, supposedly on my own.

I open the door and step inside. A huge machine is in the centre of the room, pulsing with a neon green light. Daisy stands on top of the machine fiddling with buttons and levers, muttering to herself. 'You've been busy,' I comment, looking around.

Daisy's head snaps up to me and she scowls. 'What are you doing here?'

I shrug. 'You said you would speed up the destruction of the world if I brought my friends with me. That's why I'm alone.'

Daisy rolls her eyes. 'You always did take things too literally.'

'It's then you can see the gaps in things.' I jump forward and land directly next to her. 'Okay, Daisy, I get that you have an appetite for world domination but... since when?'

Daisy smirks. 'Since about a month ago. Dr Eggman was always talking about taking over the world, and I found myself intrigued. Since then it's been an obsession.'

'Do you realise that world domination implies that there are still people alive to dominate? What you're doing right now is genocide! There will be no one left alive to rule over.' I don't even know why I'm trying this, but at least I'm getting to her.

Daisy shakes her head. Or not, it would seem. 'No, this is what Dr Eggman said we should do.' She says, with a lot of spirit.

'Dr Eggman is a mental nutcase.' I state bluntly. On the other side of the door, I hear a deep chuckle. Shadow! I almost forgot he's there.

Daisy growls. 'Forget it. And since you're here, I can start the drilling. I warned you to stay away, and you didn't.' Before I can stop her, Daisy punches a button, and the machine we're standing on starts vibrating violently. Resigning myself to what I have to do, I swiftly knock Daisy unconscious with a foot to the head. Once she is lying on the floor, I call to Shadow, telling him he can come in. When he does so, Shadow raises an eyebrow at me, seeing Daisy in a heap.

I shrug. 'Desperate times, desperate measures.' I whirl towards the control console and begin typing frantically, but nothing will stop the countdown. 'Shadow, it's already three miles down!' I cry, alarmed. Shadow urges me to stay calm, and I shake my head to clear it. I begin typing again, giving Sonic and the guys to see this room. 'They can see us back at the base now,' I tell Shadow. He nods. I bring up blueprints this machine and look for potential weak points. None are apparent at first. 'There!' I point out a little vent in the side of the machine. 'If these blueprints are accurate, then a direct hit of my sword through this vent will take it straight to the main power core, taking it out.' I jump down the side of the machine and find the vent in question. My sword appears in my hand and I quickly jam it into the mechanism. It doesn't work. Growling in frustration, I report to everyone. 'It isn't long enough like this.' I grab the vent and yank it off the machine. Gripping the hilt of my sword even tighter than before, I thrust it and my arm into the gap. The sword connects with several cogs, which shatter, before jamming directly into the pulsing power core. The whole machine stops, and my sword disintegrates. Flopping backwards into the cold metal floor, I breathe an exhausted sigh of relief.

Shadow jumps beside me and lifts me into a tight hug. 'You did it,' he whispers, his lips brushing against my ear. 'You fulfilled the prophecy. You saved the world.'

I smile shyly, feeling my cheeks heat up. 'I'm not the only one,' I remind him.

'Maybe not, but in this case, you were the only one in existence to be capable of it. Everyone else's situations could have been the same, just with different people carrying out the deed. This was unique.' Shadow says, smirking at me. I look down, hiding my face.

'Shut up, this is embarrassing now.'

Shadow laughs, a healthy, genuine laugh, and kisses my nose quickly. 'I know, that's why I'm saying it.' I playfully swat his arm, and we laugh together. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close, sealing his lips with mine.

Not that we know it, but the same thing is occurring at the base, only it is Sonic who has claimed Amy.


End file.
